PORT ADELAIDE donned the prison bars for the first time in 2021 when it went head-to-head with South Adelaide in an SANFL trial match at Alberton Oval on Thursday evening.

Jarrod Lienert, Sam Mayes, Joel Garner and Boyd Woodcock enjoyed the opportunity to have a run and contributed strongly, as did youngsters Dylan Williams, Taj Schofield and Jake Pasini.

The Magpies enjoyed a four unanswered goal opening term to build an early lead, and while the Panthers battled hard to overcome it, Port Adelaide proved too strong and came away with a 12-point win, 8.13 - 61 to 7.7 - 49.

South Adelaide recruit Bryce Gibbs suited up for his first run with the Panthers, while former Port Adelaide player Matthew Broadbent was amongst a group of rested senior players for South.

The visitors won the first inside 50m entry for the match from the initial centre clearance, but the Magpies were able to counter-attack and lock the ball inside its forward half for much of the first term.

Mayes got his side on the board first with a snap goal at the three-minute mark.

Woodcock found plenty of space on the Allan Scott Headquarters wing playing in a high half forward role.

South struggled to move the ball past its half back line as tall defenders Lienert and Pasini patrolled the area and managed to keep the Panthers scoreless until the early stages of the second term.

But down the other end, the Magpies failed to capitalise on its repeated opportunities, kicking 1.5 in the opening 20 minutes.

Martin Frederick moved the ball well from half back and it found its way into the hands of captain Cam Sutcliffe, who spotted up Trent Burgoyne 40m out on a slight angle.

It was the best the Magpies moved the football in the opening term but Burgoyne sent the scoring attempt to the left to take the score to 1.6 to 0.0.

Luckily for Burgoyne he found another opportunity less than a minute later as he roved a pack in the forward pocket and ran into an open goal.

From the centre bounce re-start the Magpies drove the ball long into its forward zone again and Ethan Moore finished with a sensational running goal from the pocket, much to the delight of the Port Adelaide players viewing from the balcony who had a perfect view of the yellow Burley splitting the middle.

On the quarter time siren Moore had another goal attempt, this time a set shot which he nailed to put the Magpies up by 30 points, 4.6 to 0.0.

South started a lot brighter in the second quarter and young gun teenager Matt Roberts got the Panthers on the board with a behind at the two-minute mark.  

Mayes booted his second goal at the five-minute mark as he dribbled it home from 25m out, extending the Magpies to a 35-point lead.  

South moved it end-to-end and found a miss-match inside 50m with Garner trying to man tall forward Daniel Nobes.

Nobes marked and kicked South’s first goal at the eight-minute mark of the second quarter.

Ruckman Sam Hayes was controlling the contests and the Magpies strolled out of the centre clearance, with Tom Corcoran on the end of Port midfielders surging it forward.

South enjoyed a five-minute dominant patch midway through the second term.

Nobes made the most of a free kick in the forward pocket and kicked his second goal to reduce the margin to 30 points, before team-mate Mitch O’Neill missed from an identical position seconds later.

Jake Tarca made up for a bungled soccer attempt at goal in the goal square with a running goal at the 22-minute mark to get the Panthers back to a 22-point deficit.

Under pressure late in the term from repeated inside 50m South Adelaide entries, Hayes parked himself in the defensive 50m zone and took a strong contested mark to send the Magpies forward but couldn’t score on the counter-attack before the half-time siren sounded.

Port Adelaide led by 22 at the main break, as South Adelaide swapped its team around and welcomed some fresh faces into the contest, including Alex Cailotto.

Hayes continued to make his presence felt, taking strong marks around the ground as Port Adelaide started to hold onto the ball.

Both sides went goal-less for the opening 12 minutes of the third term as the shadows stretched long across the ground.

Eventually usual defender Tyson Brown took a strong mark 25m directly in front and booted South’s fourth goal to reduce the margin to 15 points.

Woodcock and Lienert got busy late in the third term, linking multiple times along the grandstand wing, which was scattered with fans enjoying a perfect night for footy.

A strong tackle at half forward from Magpies contracted player Jake Weidemann set up a last-minute shot on goal to Ben Edwards in front of the Robert Quinn Grandstand pocket.

Edwards goaled from the 50m paint and a roar from the crowd followed.

It was the Magpies first goal in a scrappy term, but it meant Port Adelaide led by 22 points at the final break.

Panthers small forward Liam Fitt kicked the first goal of the final term with a tight kick from the pocket to make it interesting, 15 points in arrears with fresh legs on the park.

A minute later Nobes kicked his third goal from a set shot to reduce the margin to single digits for the first time since early in the first term.

From the re-start Hayes palmed the ball down beautifully to Williams who laced out Corcoran on the lead.

He nailed a much-needed long goal to re-affirm a 15-point margin, 8.9 - 57 to 6.6 - 42 at the six-minute mark.  

Port Adelaide was able to hang on to a 12-point win to kick start its return to SANFL football.  

Score:

Port Adelaide:    4.6   6.7   7.9   8.13 - 61

South Adelaide: 0.0   3.3   4.5   7.7 - 49

Best players:

Williams, Woodcock, Hayes, Mayes, Weidemann

Goal kickers:

Mayes, Moore, Corcoran 2, Burgoyne, Edwards 1.